Submission Information
Send us a picture of your ride if you've never done so. We keep a surplus of Readers' Rides submissions, but only one submission per person, and we love all off-road vehicles so send in your entries whether your rig is stock or not. Make sure each digital image is at least 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and saved as a TIFF, EPS, or maximum-quality JPEG file.
Write to:
Readers' Rides
4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704
Email to:
readersrides@4wheeloffroad.com
Vehicle (year, make, model)
Owner (name, city, state)
Tires & Wheels (size, make, model)
Suspension (lift, springs, shocks)
Drivetrain (tranny, transfer case, axles)
Performance (engine mods)
Other mods
Does it work the way you want?
Anything you would change?
Funniest Wheeling Incident
Anything to add?
Run & Flex
Vehicle: '89 Toyota 4Runner
Owner: Noah and Rebecca Daniels, Goleta, CA
Tires: 35x15.50 SXs
Suspension: Custom solid-axle conversion with 5-inch springs, Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: Dual transfer cases, Detroit Locker rear, ARB Air Locker front, 5.29 gears
Performance Mods: 22RE
Does everything work the way you want?: More or less
Anything you would change?: Need to mount the winch
Disco Gators
Vehicle: '96 Land Rover Discovery
Owner: Joshua Berryhill, Orlando, FL
Tires: 33x12.50 Durango Mud Terrains
Suspension: 3-inch via custom-made coils, Pro Comp shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 4.0L, Dynomax cats with Flowmaster mufflers
Other Doodads: Scorpion Racing winch bumper, Wilderness roof rack
Does everything work the way you want?: Everything works great; I drive it to the trail, wheel it hard, and then drive it home.
Anything you would change?: Maybe Unimog axles and a Chevy V-8
Anything to add?: There are more of us! Check us out at www.floridalandroverclub.com
Even Chevy
Vehicle: '77 Chevy K-30
Owner: Bill Even, Portland, OR
Tires: 35-inch Wild Countrys
Suspension: 4-inch Rancho
Drivetrain: TH400, NP203/205 Doubler, Dana 60 front, 14-bolt rear with a Detroit Locker, 4.10 gears
Performance Mods: 383ci stroker
Other Doodads: Hydraulic assist, Off Road Design crossover steering, front and rear Warn winches
Does everything work the way you want?: Great, except the carburetor. The hillclimbs still starve it out.
Anything you would change?: Fuel delivery
A-Team
Vehicle: Russian/Soviet UAZ
Owner: USA!
Tires & Wheels: 38.5x14.50 SXs on 16.5-inch steel
Suspension: Custom 8-inch
Drivetrain: Four-speed manual, Soviet military spec axles
Performance Mods: Four-cylinder turbodiesel
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Not getting blown up while in Iraq
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, sir
Anything to add?: This was built by the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and is still running at Camp Ramadi in Iraq
Grand Expedition
Vehicle: '07 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Owner: Lewis Carlisle, Colorado Springs, CO
Tires & Wheels: 33-inch Pro Comp Xtreme All-Terrains on 17-inch Pro Comp Alloys
Suspension: 4-inch Superlift with SSR shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 5.7L Hemi, K&N air intake, JET Performance programmer, Mopar Performance exhaust
Other Doodads: 4XGuard skids
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Got a Ford Expedition stuck in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming, and wandered in the pitch black in minus 2 degrees for 10 hours before finding help! Not that funny at the time, but since I didn't get eaten or freeze to death, I guess it's pretty hilarious!
Does everything work the way you want?: Heck yes
Anything you would change?: A supercharger and AEV hidden winch mount
KJ Country
Vehicle: '92 Jeep Cherokee
Owner: Thad Downing, Fayetteville, NC
Tires: 32-inch Cooper Wildcat Mud Terrains
Suspension: 6-inch Rough Country
Drivetrain: Truetrac rear, 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 4.0L
Other Doodads: Nates 4x4 front bumper, Smittybilt XRC8 winch, Bushwacker flares
Does everything work the way you want?: Walks over everything that I want it to
Anything you would change?: Another engine with fewer miles
Sun Times
Vehicle: '00 Dodge Dakota
Owner: Josh Westphal, North Muskegon, MI
Tires & Wheels: 33x12.50 BFG M-Ts on 15x8 American Racing
Suspension: Rancho RSX shocks
Drivetrain: Rear Detroit Locker, 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 4.7L, dual exhaust, Superchips Micro tuner, K&N intake, ASP pulley
Other Doodads: 3-inch Performance Accessories body lift, custom aluminum skidplates, custom rock sliders
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Getting pulled out by a Geo Tracker in the sand dunes
Anything you would change?: More power!
Ruby 'yota
Vehicle: '86 Toyota mini-truck
Owner: Jake Wills, Sacramento, CA
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch MT/Rs on steel
Suspension: Custom solid-axle conversion with Jeep Wrangler front springs and Chevy rear springs with custom shackles, Bilstein 5150 shocks
Drivetrain: TRD front locker, Detroit Locker rear, 5.29 gears
Performance Mods: Stock
Other Doodads: Crossover steering, Power Tank, interior cage
Funniest Wheeling Incident: Attempting the Rubicon trail with IFS
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Coilovers and Dana 60 axles
MesA-Run
Vehicle: '02 Toyota 4Runner
Owner: Charlie Yoon, Costa Mesa, CA
Tires & Wheels: 285/75/17 BFG M-Ts on Pro Comp 6079 alloys
Suspension: 4-inch Total Chaos long travel front suspension kit with King coilovers, 3-inch rear springs with a 1.5-spacer, and Old Man Emu shocks
Drivetrain: Tundra front axleshafts
Performance Mods: AFE cold-air intake and Magnaflow Exhaust
Other Doodads: ARB front bumper, Warn winch, custom steering, custom rear bumper with tire carrier, Trail Gear sliders, Wet Okole seat covers
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, perfectly
Anything you would change?: ARB Air Lockers, 4.56 gears, fiberglass fenders, and 35-inch tires would be nice
Simple Maine
Vehicle: '87 Dodge Raider
Owner: Neil Bernier, Upton, ME
Tires: 31-inch Yokohamas
Suspension: Custom 2-inch
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance Mods: 2.6L
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Bigger tires
Flat Black
Vehicle: '73 Ford F-100
Owner: Patrick Campaigne, Tulare, CA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZs on 15x12 Mickey Thompson Classic IIs
Suspension: 6-inch Superlift, RS 9000 shocks
Drivetrain: Four-speed, Dana 44 front with Warn hubs, 9-inch rear, 4.10 gears
Performance Mods: 460ci, Edelbrock carburetor, K&N air filter, Hooker Hedders, dual Flowmaster mufflers
Other Doodads: Borgeson steering shaft, '79 F-150 front clip, four-point harness
Does everything work the way you want?: It's getting there
Super Celebration
Vehicle: '05 Ford Super Duty
Owner: Jason Kokoska, Celebration, FL
Tires & Wheels: 37x13.50 Pro Comp Xtreme All Terrains on 17x9 Pro Comp
Suspension: 6-inch Rize front with 2.5-inch spacer, 6-inch Deaver rear springs with the factory F-350 block
Drivetrain: 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 6.4L, K&N air filter, Diablo Sport programmer, Flowmaster exhaust
Other Doodads: TJM snorkel, ARB front bumper, MileMarker 12,000-pound winch, Defender roof rack, Hella Black Magic lights
Does everything work the way you want?: Absolutely
Anything you would change?: Nope